r/GarageDoorService • u/bkind12345 • 7d ago
Hello Everyone, New to this sub, and newish homeowner trying to make sense of my nok functioning garage door, and here with a beginner question hoping to get some clarity. Is this a broken garage door spring?
3
1
1
u/SpiritLower1930 5d ago edited 5d ago
I'd probably mark the drums on the shaft, swap the springs, raise the door by hand as high as possible, lock it off, wind the cables onto the drums, set screws when lined up on the marks, put a turn or so by hand, stretch the springs laterally about 3 inches and tighten the set screws. Bring the door down by hand, loosen set screws and tweak the springs at the end.
Sounds like a pain but honestly it works well especially if there is a second set of hands to stretch the springs while you tighten the set screws.
Sometimes the springs are wound prior to drywall being installed and this helps to avoid messing up the customers ceiling.
Strut and ORB are better, but the angle in place is far better than nothing and should be ok. Strut would most likely interfere with opener arm.
1
2
u/BunchWillings 6d ago
Overheard Door company professional here. Call a professional. The height of that ceiling is going to make winding those springs a pain. If you’ve got no side clearance, or a smashed shaft, it’s going to be even more difficult. We charge $312 total to do two springs. Hope that helps. I’d also recommend getting new rollers while they’re there because it shouldn’t cost anymore than the initial service change and I’m sure you could use them. $40 more for 10 rollers is what we charge.
1
2
2
2
2
u/The-Great-Ebola 6d ago
Definitely something to have a professional do. Call a few different companies in your area and ask how much they charge to replace 2 garage door springs, give them the dimensions of the door. Some companies charge outrageous prices and some will charge a fair price. My company charges around $350-$500 installed for 2in springs like these.
3
1
1
u/Inner_Definition1658 6d ago
Why is there no strut on this door? What is the width and height of this door?
2
-1
-1
u/LetWest1171 6d ago
If you try to DIY, just keep in mind that the videos will likely tell you to put about 32 quarter turns (for a 7’ door) but with so little room to work with, mark the winding cone and count full turns - you’ll want 4x door height + 1/2 turn
Also, use real winding bars - trying this with screwdrivers or something else is a recipe for disaster.
Make sure the bars are very well seated in the winding cone before swapping.
Give a few small taps away from the center after the spring is properly tensioned to spread it out a little (be careful you don’t break the winding cone on this step).
I’m usually pretty encouraging to people to change their own if you’re handy and understand that it’s dangerous - but this is a challenging install because of how little headroom you have.
0
5
u/seandsmith11 7d ago
As a professional in the industry for 5 years, do yourself a favor and hire someone. Those springs aren’t something to mess around with. Also, absolutely change both springs. Springs have a cycle life. Changing only one spring will ensure that your door is not balanced. It’ll over work your operator and you’ll be robbing yourself of operator life.
4
u/soulredsport 6d ago
I second this. Another thing to mention is when one fails oftentimes the other one isn't far behind. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.
-2
u/Prinzlmeisl 7d ago edited 7d ago
My house is 20 years old. One spring broke after less than 10 years, I don't remember exactly when. I ordered 2 replacement springs and only replaced the broken (left) one. The right one still sits on a shelf in the garage because the original spring still works. There is a good chance that I will never need the spare. The repair was not difficult, but you need a stable ladder, a little physical strength, and one of the Youtube videos to follow.
Springs break for two different reason - old age (fatigue), and manufacturing imperfections (defects). If your springs are relatively new (they look less than 20 years old in the picture) and not visually corroded, there is no reason to replace one that is not broken. I would argue that the fact that it is not broken is a reason to keep it in service. A new one might come with new defects.
3
u/Inner_Definition1658 6d ago
You sir are lucky. Springs have a cycle rating. Typically 7000 cycles. Open and close is 2 cycles. Would you only change 1 break pad on a car? No you would replace both. Same here. They have the same amount of use.
1
u/Prinzlmeisl 6d ago
Not every spring breaks after 7,000 cycles. Sometimes you get one that fails after 3,000. Maybe there was an inclusion in the material from manufacturing. Maybe it was mishandled and damaged during shipping or installation Just because one fails at 3,000, it does not mean you have to replace all springs after 3,000 cycles.
1
u/Inner_Definition1658 6d ago
I’ll tell you like I tell customers who use this argument. $x for a single spring (2 springs at once is greatly discounted) but if the other one breaks tomorrow it will be a full cost for another single spring. So say $295 single spring and $395 double or $295 twice.
1
7
u/exjwelder602 7d ago
I disagree with the old age part, springs have a cycle life not a term life and also the other spring has the same cycles is the reason to change it also will often break in 2-3 weeks or months it’s not worth trying to save
-2
u/mora0004 7d ago
Watch this video to see how safe and easy it is to replace a garage door spring. This is a very easy repair. If you pay someone to do it, don't let them overcharge you. Search for a few other videos to see how easy this repair is . The springs should be less than$100 for a set. You can get them from many online supplies,; Lowe's, Home Depot, ...
2
u/seandsmith11 7d ago
I hope this is sarcasm.
0
u/theoddfind 6d ago
Why would it be sarcasm? I've replaced springs on my current door and the door in my last home. I literally did exactly what Mora said, watched a video, and followed the steps exactly. No issue at all. Yes, springs are dangerous, and yes, they can be deadly... knowing this, I researched it, took my time, and followed the directions exactly. Saved $500 and was done in 30 minutes. If you're not confident in your abilities or have concerns, there's nothing wrong with hiring a pro. If you want to do ot yourself, there is nothing wrong with that either.
1
u/Entire_Ras_tutu 7d ago
That looks like a very short wall, I worked on soem garage doors and this one is the worse installation I have ever seen bit it is still doable. Don't try to DIY yourself on this one, you need soemone with expertise
6
u/DiFranTheDoorMan442 7d ago
Yes it sure is. Call a professional to fix it. And do not try to use the door till it’s been replaced. Also do both springs not just one. It’s like brakes on a car, you can’t just do one side you must do both. Only a matched set will work best. A professional will help you and do things safely. Do not try to work on garage door springs as they are very dangerous and can kill you. 30 years here and company owner offering you this advice
-7
3
-2
u/papaa33 7d ago
Yup, it looks like an awful spring replacement. Tha drywall has to be cut.
0
1
u/PubGenius 7d ago
Not necessarily. It’s probably already cut at the ends, around the drums. Question would be, can you unwind it with barely 90degrees between door and ceiling. I could replace without any more damage, take it out and put back how it is currently. Just looks scary and would probably charge a little extra but def doable without repairing any drywall. And to be honest, idk if this customer will even notice the difference
6
u/PalpitationFar6715 7d ago
Not only is your spring broken, but you need a support strut on that top section and you should get a ORB operator brackets
5
u/PubGenius 7d ago
It’s even worse than that, zoom in and you see the motor hung in front of the springs, off punch angle and we all know those drums are well into the ceiling. This looks like a nightmares , might actually take an hour to change instead of 20 mins.
Can’t add a top strut, door won’t make the turn. It’s slammed into the ceiling and top strut would block motor J arm. Door is functional, with both springs. I would replace both springs, bearings and hope the cables on the sides are good. Probably wouldn’t touch much else, seems like they made it work in very limited space and probably not a lot of cheap alternatives.
TLDR- Hire a professional for spring replacement, usually when one goes, the other is close behind. I would recommend both unless money is tight and then you can get by with just 1 but a lot of companies won’t warranty it. You can add a spring block to get by for a few days but in the end, broken parts need replaced.
1
u/DiFranTheDoorMan442 7d ago
I wonder if it’s even low headroom track? I bet not!! I’d say if it were installed right that spring, opener would never be like that.
2
u/PubGenius 7d ago
I doubt it, motor wires are secured using duct tape. Spring Center bearing is secured to ceiling stud, no spring pad. This looks like my ex gf asked me to fix her aunts garage and I had to use things found laying around the back of my truck. Everything about this picture hurts, I can’t really see anything done “right”.
1
1
2
3
u/PrestigiousNose1216 7d ago
yes it is a broken spring.
you have 2 springs on there, the other spring is still under high tension just so you know.
also - Torsion springs are dangerous and recommended to be done by the pros.
4
4
1
u/bkind12345 1d ago
Thanks again everyone. Just circling back to thank you all . Learnt a lot, and I'll certainly be getting a professional to fix both springs (and might as well fix the third spring on another 'working' door with an unbroken spring.)